10 Best Local Dishes from Amsterdam
Famous Food Locals Love to Eat in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has a thriving food scene with unique dishes and treats that you won’t want to miss out on. These excellent foods all have something special to offer, whether you’re looking for something sweet, savory, or something you’ve never tried before. Thanks to a cosmopolitan mix of cultures within the city, you can find many world cuisines here, although it’s often prepared in a uniquely Dutch way.
Even if you have tasted Dutch delights, nothing will ever quite match what Amsterdam itself has to offer. Here, you’ll find a degree of authenticity that shines through in every bite, provided you know what to try. Here are the best Amsterdam foods everyone should try.
1. Stroopwafel
The Netherlands’ iconic sweet treat
Good for: Food
Stroopwafel is one of the most iconic foods in the country, showing off Dutch excellence with its sweet taste and its popularity with dessert and treat lovers. A stroopwafel is a sandwich of thin waffles with a layer of syrup in the middle. This syrup can vary quite a bit, but the traditional way is to make it using brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon.
You can find stroopwafels all over town on virtually every street corner. They’ve become a staple of the city and the country as a whole, so you’ll never have to look far to find them. They can come in many different varieties, so plan to enjoy them several times while vacationing.
2. Bitterballen
Delicious deep-fried meatballs
Good for: Food
Bitterballen is a popular Dutch food that is essentially deep-fried meatballs usually made from beef. It is most often enjoyed as a snack, especially at bruin (brown) cafes, which are traditional Dutch pubs often with cozy, dark-wood interiors. Bitterballen are derived from a similar Spanish dish first made around the 17th century, but its specific origins have been lost.
Modern Bitterballen offer a lot more variety than its 17th-century counterparts did. In general, bitterballen is made from beef, beef broth, flour, and several different seasonings. You’ll find several different filling options, however, with chicken and veal being quite common.
3. Dutch Pancakes
Specialty pancakes to start your day
Good for: Food
Dutch pancakes (pannenkoeken) are popular with locals looking for a good breakfast, as they are light but notably filling while coming in a variety of different flavors. Compared to the standard pancakes you may typically find in the UK or America, these are thinner and larger on average, with a lovely crispy texture at the edges.
At their most basic level, these pancakes are made from flour, milk, salt, and eggs. Several different add-ons can be found virtually anywhere that offers them, such as banana, chocolate, and almonds. You can also opt for savory pancakes flavored with ingredients like smoked chicken, bacon, onion, and cheese.
4. Raw Herring
Amsterdam’s infamous fish dish
Good for: Food
Raw herring is a common street food in Amsterdam, though not quite appropriately named since the herring is never technically served raw. Herring is plentiful in the waters in Amsterdam, so it’s readily available. After being caught, the fish is cleaned, gutted, salted, then frozen, to optimize its taste and tenderness. What’s more, as street food goes, this snack is healthy as herring is known to reduce cholesterol.
If you’re looking to try raw herring, you won’t have to look far to find it. Street vendors offering herring are all over town. For the most part, you’ll find it freshly prepared and served alongside pickles and onions, though many locals prefer it as part of a sandwich.
5. Cheese
A cheese lover’s paradise
Good for: Food
Dutch cheese is one of the most iconic and recognizable parts of the local cuisine in Amsterdam, offering options that originate from nearby locations in the Netherlands. Many kinds of Dutch cheese are available, so make sure you try them all during your visit.
Most of the cheese production in Holland, in general, is dedicated to Gouda, so that’ll be the most prevalent around Amsterdam. This semi-hard cheese comes in many subtypes as well. You’ll also find plenty of Edam cheese in town with its salty and mellow taste. Maasdam (a cheese similar to Emmental) is a popular option, too, with its unique domed shape.
6. Poffertjes
Small, delightfully fluffy pancakes
Good for: Food
Poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes) are a popular sweet treat in Amsterdam that are essentially small fluffy pancakes designed to contrast well with the larger Dutch pancakes in terms of size and thickness. The size difference doesn’t put them on par with American or English pancakes, mind you. They are notably small, being just slightly larger than a dime in most cases.
These sweet treats are typically prepared with confectioners’ sugar applied to the top along with a bit of butter. Picking these up from a street vendor will normally have you eating them with a toothpick, although it’s pretty easy to do so. They’re made freshly all over town, so you won’t have any trouble finding them.
7. Snert
A traditional hearty pea soup
Good for: Food
Snert (also known as Ertwensoep) is a simple, traditional Dutch pea soup that offers ingredients and satisfying flavors you won’t want to miss. Typically, it’s quite thick with split peas as the primary ingredient, along with various other chopped vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes.
You’ll find a few different options for Snert, depending on where you go. Numerous vegetarian options are available throughout town, but you will more often find it with meats like pork and sausage. It’s always served warm, so it’s gratifying if you’re visiting on a cold or rainy day.
8. Tompouce
Mouth-watering cream-filled pastries
Good for: Food
Tompouce is a popular cream-filled pastry with a long tradition, with most vendors using traditional Dutch style with modern ingredients. It’s made from puff pastry with cream inside and sweet icing on top.
While Tompouce is delicious, it does have a bit of a reputation for travelers who aren’t quite used to it. While conceptually, it’s quite close to a Napoleon (Mille-feuille), the Tompouce is much sweeter. They are typically made with pink icing. Additionally, the cream and the icing can be hard to eat without making a mess, making it more suitable for a sit-down meal than while walking down the street.
9. Dutch Apple Pie
A super satisfying deep-dish pie
Good for: Food
Dutch Apple Pie is one of the most famous desserts available in Amsterdam, where it’s also known as an appeltaart. It delights with its sweet flavors with crisp fresh apples. The most important thing you need to remember is that it’s not quite like the apple pies you’d find in North America.
Instead of making a thin pie with enclosed apples, chefs making Dutch Apple Pie have much more to work with. It is a deep-dish pie looking a lot like a cake, and it uses many firm apples without the hard rolled crust. Additionally, a Dutch Apple Pie implements extra ingredients like nuts, raisins, and spices, and often has a lovely crumble-like topping.
10. Stamppot
Amsterdam’s winter-warmer comfort food
Good for: Food
Stamppot is a popular, local comfort food that’s gained a well-deserved reputation for keeping people warm in the chilly evenings with its satisfying taste. Meaning “mash pot”, Stamppot is a mixture of several ingredients like mashed potatoes and vegetables in a bowl. Vegetarian options are available, but most include meat as well.
Given the nature of Stamppot, the exact ingredients used can vary quite a bit. Boerenkool, for example, is made using kale, while hutspot is made with carrots and onions. When it comes to meats, sausage is the most common ingredient, adding to the hearty, warming nature of this dish.
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